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Let's just not even ask why I had to figure this out, 'kay? Suffice to say the animal is still alive, albeit sulking under the bed.

But- first you need to get out the vacummn- don't TOUCH the pastel in the carpet- just cordone off the area so no one steps in it (again) and get out the vacuumn. Do NOT use the beater bar attachment- just the bare end of the metal hose. Stick it right over the top of the pastel mark and let it sit there for a few seconds. Lift it off cleanly- don't drag it. Do it again. And again. When you're sure you've gotten all of the powder out you possibly can, go get a clean white cloth and some laundry spot remover- Spray and Wash or Zout or Shout or something, (probably even work with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid, really- same stuff pretty much- just more bubbles).

Make sure the carpet is kinda colourfast if it's dark- sometimes these spot removers contain a bleaching agent. If it's not, try the dishwashing soap instead. Put a drop or two of the spot remover right on the pastel mark, then go get a corner of the white cloth fairly wet- not dripping, but enough to release water with some pressure. Daub at the spot- DO NOT SCRUB- just daub at it. Work the spot remover in this way, getting it wet with the cloth, and letting it do its job. Now, fold the cloth and press firmly down on the damp, soapy pastel mark. Lift, and do it again in a clean spot on the cloth. Again. Again. It should be fading by now. Again. When you're not bringing any new pigment up, and if the spot is still there, get the cloth wet again, and daub at the spot, then press and lift some more. It works, promise.

Yep- you'll probably leave a little soap in the fibers of the carpet, but those're easier to live with than Schminckes Red-Gray Dark, right?

ha....finding a niche now that Martha is otherwise engaged???
My spills are oil pastels or acrylic...I've convinced my husband that multi-colored rugs are a GOOD THING...
Hope you didn't lose a painting or any good pastels.

My wife and I are currently living with her father since he requires looking after and we prefer hardwood floors and area rugs. Her father loves wall to wall carpet,...so I remain on top of a dropcloth.

Try looking for a product called Spotshot. It is usually found in the grocery in with the cleaners. If you catch a spill early and use as directed, it works really good for just about everything. Good info, though!

LOL - this reminds me of the time I took my WHITE dog out to the studio and he got into the pastel dust on the floor - needless to say - not a white dog until his next bath. I wondered what all the green hair was about -

I once spilled red oil paint on a green carpet--in a rental apartment. After I got the red out with stain remover, it left a nasty pale yellow bleached splotch right in front of the living-room sofa. What did I do to avoid losing my security deposit?

That's right--I painted the spot green again! Did a pretty good job matching the pattern, if I do say so myself.

That's right--I painted the spot green again! Did a pretty good job matching the pattern, if I do say so myself.

Haha...I painted out a cigarette burn on newly installed patterned linoleum.(sp) with acrylic. It was well several months before I fessed up......I could hardly find the spot myself. Painting can be very powerful

Thanks for the great info....I know we all face that problem at some time!

I had to explain to my husband why I needed to work over our wool rug which is on a hardwood floor....its a neutral color anyway! But wool really grabs the dust and it cleans your shoes off before you walk across the room onto the carpeted areas
carly

Many moons ago I attended an oil painting workshop where the instructor told us to use oven cleaner to get oil paint out of our clothes when we accidently painted ourselves.

Guess what...this works for fresh oil paint as well as dried on oil paint. It also works for the stains left behind from trying to get pastel dust out clothes and carpet. I've used this many many times with my oil paints and a couple of times with my pastel slip-ups.... mostly because of cat paws.

My carpet is a soft yellow beige and I had no fading. The carpet looks new and you can't tell where the pastel touched it. For others thinking about trying oven cleaner, I'd test a spot. It would be a good thing if you had some carpet scraps, but if you didn't, try in a place that it wouldn't be seen if the carpet did fade before trying the real spot. Spray the oven cleaner on the spot... let it sit.... press and lift using paper towels until you can't release any more liquid...then spray again if you still see a stain. After the carpet dries, you can lift the nap of the carpet by brushing with a small nail brush.

This is along the original concept of cleaning the spots. Alcohol as in rubbing or isopropyl is very good. It is the active ingredient in post of the spot removers. Instead of just getting the cloth wet and dabbing here is a trick I found out worked when i had a new puppy. Soak and i mean liberally drown the spot in the alcohol. Take and old towel that you fould into forths. place the folded towel over the spot and then step on it. do a dance or otherwise just walke heavily on it for about 30 seconds. you should be able to get the residue up in one stomping. This method is good for those on a diet and trying to find a new exercise routine.

Alcohol is known to take india ink out of a hubby's white shirt if he leaves a pen in his pocket to leak. You might have to do it several times and rinse between. I found at the last just a good washing following the above steps with the shirt makes it look as good as it did before the stain.